Workforce

We need a new generation of diverse and skilled public servants to keep us safe, respond to emergencies, design high-impact social programs and engage in cutting-edge research. But the federal  government is currently failing to recruit and retain them.

There are many reasons why our government is struggling: 

1. The federal government’s brand is badly damaged. 
2. The hiring process is long and complicated. 
3. The pay system is antiquated. 
4. Opportunities for young people are hidden and scarce. 
5. Federal employee engagement lags that of the private sector.

We help government address these critical talent gaps by advocating for policies that improve the hiring process, administering internship and fellowship programs that inspire young, diverse talent to public service, and helping agencies design and implement new recruitment and retention strategies. Collectively, this work helps fill the federal talent pipeline and remove the barriers to a career in government. 

The federal government finished last in a recent poll examining the reputation of America’s 99 most high-profile companies. 

It takes government an average of 98 days to bring new talent on board—more than double the time in the private sector. 

The federal government has used the same pay and  classification  system  for  more than 70 years. 

Just 4% of new hires are drawn from federal programs employing current students and recent graduates. 

The 2021 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government® employee engagement score was 64.5 out of 100, lagging over 14 points behind the private sector. 

GoGovernment

Interested in working for the federal government? Go Government guides you through the federal application process from start to finish no matter your experience level. Offering practical tips on how to apply for and secure a federal job, the site outlines the various types of positions and specialty areas that match your skills and interests, provides information about federal pay and benefits, features testimonials from federal employees, and helps you navigate USAJOBS—the government’s central job board.

Visit Go Government to take the first step in building your federal career. Please note that we do not post job announcements or accept applications.

Federal Hiring

As the nation’s largest organization, the federal government requires a diverse, world-class workforce to address the complex challenges of today and tomorrow. We take a multi-faceted approach to make it easier for agencies to acquire critical talent, creating custom programs that meet specific hiring and recruiting needs, championing key legislative and regulatory reforms that open new doors to public service, developing internship and fellowship programs that expose students and other professionals to federal service careers, and conducting in-depth research that diagnoses talent challenges and promotes effective and widely applicable hiring strategies.

Our work draws on our experiences working with multiple agencies and hundreds of leaders across the federal government. Find out more about our impact on college students by visiting our Public Service Roadshow page.

Fellowship and Internship Programs

Our fellowship, internship and talent exchange programs offer students and professionals working outside the public sector with valuable work experience in the federal government. Participants take on new professional responsibilities, benefit from leadership development opportunities and fill mission-critical roles in various federal agencies, developing the skills, perspectives and tools that enable career success and open new doors to government work.

Best Places to Work in the Federal Government^®

The Best Places to Work in the Federal Government® rankings offer the most authoritative assessment of how federal public servants view their jobs and workplaces. Produced by the Partnership and Boston Consulting Group, the rankings provide employee perspectives on issues such as leadership, pay, work-life balance and more. Best Places to Work data enables leaders to measure employee engagement in their workforce and better manage our government’s most important asset—its public servants. 

Header photo credit: USAID/Vietnam